Improvement in straw-cutters



A GORDON.

Straw Cutten Patented Feb. 17, 1863.

N. PETERS. PhaXo-Mhugrnphur. Wasllingwn, 04C.

" UNITED grates ATENT truce.

ALEXANDER GORDON, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YOPK.

IMPROVEMENT lN STRAW-CUTTERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 37,l7, dated February17, 1863.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ALEXANDER GORDON, of Rochester, in the county ofMonroe and State of New York, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Cutting-Boxes; and I do hereby declare that thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings, making a part of thisspecification, in which- Figure l is a vertical longitudinal section ofthe machine. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the cutter-case, showing thepinions of the feeding apparatus uncovered. Fig. 3 is an enlarged topview of a section of two of the feeder-slats N and their links y. lig. 4is a side view of the links 3 showing the end of the slats N.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the severalfigures.

The nature of the invention will be understood by reference to thedrawings and specification.

The apparatus is supported by a suitable frame, A. The endless belt B iscomposed of a series of ribbed slats, N, corresponding in length to thatof roller K. These slats are riveted at each end to the links g, whichare cast with spurs t, Fig. 4, and every other link has eyes '0 toreceive the pins 2', cast on each alternate link. The slats N may becast with ribs 1 on, or they may be made of wood and grooves sawed intheir upper faces correspondin g to the ribs, and narrow stripsofsheet-iron inserted with one edge projecting about onefourth of aninch above the face of the slat. The spurs t catch in the openings madein the flanges of the pulleys c and c. To the shafts of these pulleys issuspended a spreader which is composed of two side rails, O, cross-barsD, and two bars, E, which latter support the upper or loaded half of thebelt. The shaft 11 turns in the upper ends of the straps g, their lowerends being hinged to the yoke F. There is a curved slot, f, struck fromthe center of pinion p, as seen in Fig. 2, in each of the side plates, Iand 1, through which the ends of this shaft I) reach, thus securing auniform depth of mesh between the pinions p and p, as the shaft is movedup or down by the varying thickness of the passing substance which isbeing cut, and the boxes of the shaft (1 are allowed to slide inmortises in the plates of the frame A, the shafts b and d beingprevented from approaching each other by the speaderbars 0. The yoke Fis provided with two fixed arms, G, which are hinged to the frame A,and, as it swings, both ends must move equally, thus effectin aparallelmovement vertically of the shaftb, which causes the pinion p to sustainits relative position with pinion p. The yoke is pressed upwards by thespring b, and the upper edge ofthe chute-board L is hung to the yoke.There may be a spiral spring, S, substituted for the spring S, appliedas shown by the dotted lines in Fig. 1, by fixing a rod, B, to the yokeF, and the lower end of the rod being encircled by the spring S fitsloosely through the girt G, upon which the lower end of the springrests, while the upper end presses against a shoulder made on the rod.The axis of roller K is fixed. The arms ofthe throat-bar J are hinged tothe side plates, I and I, at the lower end, as seen at 0, Fig. 1, andthere is a lug, c, Fig. 2, cast on each end of the bar, which projectsthrough the curved slots 6. Thereis aholedrilled through each lug, andone end of the adjusting-screws his bent down through it, the other endbeing secured by the nuts n to the rib r, cast on the sides I and I, andby turning the nuts on or off, the bar J is swung to or from the knives70. These knives are secured to tangential seats or brackets on the armsof the heads H by countersunk screws a, the knives being slotted toreceive them. There are also set-screws s, which screw through the endof the arms and against the back of the knives. It will be seen thatthese set-screws s constitute a permanent backing, always being setagainst the back of the knives after they have been properly set to thethroat-bar, notwithstandin g any variance in their width. By this meansthe knives are also much more firmly held than if depending solely uponthe screws a to resist the concussion of the knives against thesubstance which is being cut. The heads I'I.

feeder-belt B may be extended to the full length of the hopper betweenthe sides M and M. The cap 0, which guards the knife-cylinder, is hingedto the side plates, 1 and I, at m. The spur-wheel w turns wheel a, whichis keyed to pinion p, the latter turning. the beltshaft'b by the pinionp. The roller K is turned by the intermediate to, and pinion o, as seenin Fig. 2. The material to be cut is deposited upon the feeder-belt B,by which it is carried forward to the cutters and entirely fed through,however short and broken it may be, without further attention from theoperator.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent ofthe United States, 1s-

1. The employment, in cutting-boxes, of the feeder-belt B, whenconstructed, arranged, and operating in the manner specified.

2. The yoke F and straps g, as specified, for the purpose of keeping thepinions p and p in the same relative position as the latter moves up ordown.

ALEX. GORDON. Witnesses:

WM. S. LOUGHBOROUGH, B. D. MGALPINE.

